Tunisian human rights activist and president of the Association for Justice and Rehabilitation, Karim Abdessalem is speaking on the same day that hundreds are taking to the streets in Tunis in protest against economic hardship and the slow pace of political reform since the Arab Spring 10 long years ago.
The previous day, authorities arrested over 600 people at demonstrations, riots and clashes between protesters and the police.
It’s a reminder of the kind of work that Abdessalem has committed himself to for years, “to prevent others from having the same fate as me.”
“That experience is a part of my past, present and future,” he says.
Karim Abdessalem during a demonstration in Tunis.” – we know it is watermarked but we don’t have any other options, so let’s use it.
Abdessalem was arrested at the age of 17 for participating in demonstrations and riots against the ruling regime of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in the early 1990s. Just a few years before, Ben Ali had taken control through a bloodless coup against President Habib Bourguiba, a secular nationalist who’d been declared medically unfit to continue after 30 years in his position. After a brief experiment with more liberal policies, Ben Ali cracked down on his political opponents, attacking the press, civil society and Islamist parties.
Abdessalem ultimately remained in detention for 13 years. Reflecting now on that time, he says “my whole activism and struggle has been inspired and triggered by that personal experience.”
In January 2011, Ben Ali was ousted through the first popular uprising that came to be known as the Arab Spring.
Abdessalem’s organisation, the Association for Justice and Rehabilitation, was one of the first new groups to emerge from the democratic awakening that followed Ben Ali’s departure. He says the organisation aims to provide a “critical reading of the Tunisian reality” by giving voice to victims, documenting rights violations and creating a platform for transitional justice in the country.
Karim speaking at a conference in Tunisia
His work is guided by a firm belief in victim-led pursuit of justice and accountability, but also a need to put the voices of victims and survivors at the forefront of the conversation about human rights violations.
Abdessalem was a key part of the first conversations that led to the formation of INOVAS, after meeting Nepalese victim rights activist Ram Kumar Bhandari on the sidelines of a conference they were both invited to back in 2014. The two became fast friends, and stayed in touch afterwards. “We discussed how there were many cases [in the past] where justice and accountability processes did not lead to victims getting their rights; we agreed that these cases didn’t yield results because they weren’t led by victims themselves, and that’s why we started thinking of this idea for a network.”
Abdessalem sees INOVAS as a “turning-point for the cause of victims of serious and grave human rights violations,” and a way for victims and survivors to directly articulate themselves with a united voice.
“It’s a way for victims to make their voices heard and their memories alive in all International forums.”
“It’s really about bringing all these victims together because when they unite, their voice will be stronger and they will have more influence.”